#DigiWomenKA: Heike Brugger
by Katharina Iyen
Female role models are important. They show possibilities, they help to define your own goals and we can learn from your experiences. In our blog series #DigiWomenKA, Katharina Iyen meets one such role model from Karlsruhe’s digital sector once a month to find out more about them, their experiences and their commitment. Today she talks to Dr. Heike Brugger, Head of the Business Unit Energy Policy in the Competence Center Energy Policy and Energy Markets at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI.
I meet Heike Brugger and her loving four-legged friend at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in the Technology Park in Rintheim. The institute’s rooms are bright and open, resembling a coworking space: lots of natural light, a loft-like atmosphere, colorful paintings and green plants characterize the place. Behind glass office walls, I can see some of the researchers working standing up on large screens. Heike’s cute dog Bascha fits perfectly into this relaxed atmosphere. In the open kitchen, the scientist makes me a cup of tea, we are immediately on a first-name basis and the atmosphere between us is very relaxed. I immediately like Brugger because she is easy-going and her open laugh makes her seem very warm.
Now I’m really curious about the person I’m talking to and eager to find out more. Heike Brugger was born and grew up on Lake Constance. Her father, like her grandfather, is a tax consultant. Both come from the Lake Constance region, while their mother, a librarian, moved here from the Rhineland. Despite his mother’s exile, Brugger’s Rhenish cheerful nature is clearly evident. But her father doesn’t necessarily fit the stereotype of a tax consultant either, as she reports: “Before I was born, my father hitchhiked to Algeria and my mother drove through Afghanistan in a VW bus.” She seems to have been born with a thirst for exploration and openness.
These also come to light in their training. Heike Brugger originally studied to become a teacher of math and physics at the University of Konstanz. “Mathematics has always accompanied me, the logical thinking, asking questions and learning about it,” she recalls. But combining science with math and politics also appealed to her. This interest eventually led her to make math and politics her main subjects, with physics as a minor. “A broad field in which I can combine my different interests was important to me, which is why I wrote my final thesis on energy policy,” adds the natural scientist. After her state examination, she completed a doctorate in political and administrative science with a scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation. In 2018, her work and research interests finally took her from Lake Constance to the fan-shaped city, where she is a Senior Researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and has been Head of the Energy Policy business unit since March 2021.
New trends, data, digitalization: understanding the energy transition
The Karlsruhe resident appreciates the urban flair and the many green spaces of her new home, even if she misses Lake Constance and the proximity to the water. When I point out to her that the surrounding area of Karlsruhe also has a lot to offer with its bathing lakes and the Alb, she waves it off: “I’m very involved. I often hear how beautiful the Karlsruhe area is, but I rarely get out of the city center. However, I’ve had a garden in Pfinztal since last year and I really hope that this will gradually change.”
Now I’m naturally curious and want to know more about what Brugger is so busy with. The answer is impressive: Brugger regularly talks about the energy requirements of social media, streaming services and data centers in lectures, radio shows and podcasts, for example. With her current research project newTRENDs, she is investigating at European level how new social trends will influence the energy demand of the future. This is intended to improve the management of such trends by political decision-makers in line with the Paris Agreement and the European Union’s long-term climate and energy goals. “Our research is about understanding what influences future energy demand, including what increased digitalization will mean for energy demand.”
She cites the sensible use of waste heat from data centers as an example: “We ask ourselves: What standards must data centers meet? What requirements can and must we place on them? But also the question of how we can use machine learning and working with large amounts of data to improve our own work.” Among other things, her institute advises the European Commission in negotiations on new directives for energy efficiency. “We do the balancing act between basic research and policy advice. One of the research focuses is on energy demand from private households as well as trade, commerce and services. Another research focus is on how we can shape the transition to a digital, sustainable world in a socially just way.”
Energy transition: A social issue
The technologies are ready for consumers to be able to see how much electricity or gas they use every day in real time. Although they are mature, they are being blocked by lobbying from the energy industry. “When it comes to our energy consumption, we’re all kind of flying blind. A year later you get the bill from the previous year? That’s no longer up to date and lacks transparency. The fact that I don’t have access to my own consumption data is the fatal aspect of the situation and needs to change!” explains Brugger. Data plays a central role in this. “Among other things, we need a much stronger right to our data, so that we can see at much shorter intervals what our energy consumption is and what behavior has what effect. That empowers us as consumers.”
This ties in with a central theme of her work. The social issue of the energy transition, because central questions of social justice are linked to this indispensable necessity. “We can’t say that we are now making policies to reduce energy consumption without really looking at what affects which population groups and who consumes what.” With her work, she wants to contribute to shaping the energy transition in an inclusive way. Sustainable living and everyday life should not be a privilege for the few. Her motivation is to create the energy transition for everyone. And she means that literally: “But that also means taking SUV drivers with you.”
Strengths and weaknesses
I would like to know where the daughter of a tax consultant and a librarian, a woman with an academic family background, derives her strong interest in social justice. She explains this with her life’s journey. “After graduating from high school, I went to Ghana for eight months to do voluntary service – and returned pregnant. I was in shock at first, and at the age of 18 it threw my plans into disarray. “However, she received a lot of support from her family. This helped her to pursue her career. “I knew that motherhood would not mean giving up my ambitions. I am very grateful to my parents for that.”
She is also grateful that her family provided her with a safe space that shielded her from negative reactions. “Today I am more stable, but back then I would have been very affected and I don’t know how it would have affected me.” Of course, such an experience leaves its mark. I would like to know how Brugger was shaped by these experiences, what strengths she was able to develop through her experiences.
After a moment’s thought, she explains with a smile: “Networking and networked thinking, making connections and creating synergies are definitely strengths.” She is also particularly proud of her degree, her doctorate and her career at the Fraunhofer Institute. Especially because she has been a single mother since her daughter was three years old. “I get a lot of appreciation from my team and doctoral students. They feel that their concerns are seen by me. That is very important to me and makes me happy.” However, Brugger still sees room for improvement when it comes to time management. She often miscalculates and takes longer than expected. “I blame it on being too optimistic – I always plan for the best-case scenario,” she adds.
Increasing the attractiveness of STEM professions for women
I would like to come back to the topic of the single mother. Because it seems to me that Brugger really does occupy a special position. Women are still significantly underrepresented in STEM-related professions anyway. I would like to know how she thinks STEM professions can be made more accessible to women. She cites visibility and promotion as key factors. “Despite many people in my environment, bosses and colleagues who supported me, it was rare that I was really proactively offered a new role.” Her doctoral supervisor assumed that she wouldn’t be able to do a doctorate with a state examination anyway. It therefore didn’t even occur to him to ask his student about it. “When I followed up, he only realized that I had also studied math and physics and therefore had valuable interdisciplinary knowledge.”
She fears that women could miss out on important opportunities because male colleagues often take precedence if they do not put themselves on the radar of their superiors. However, this is not expedient and is actually the task of the manager. She would therefore like to set a good example in her position and handle this more sensitively: “I’m paying more attention to actively approaching women, making offers and suggestions, even – or especially – when male colleagues simply want to grab one or two opportunities. And of course I encourage women to put themselves forward.”
Cover photo: Heike Brugger